Cabin Fever
by CSIBeauty
Summary: When Emma goes to the Jolly Roger to question Hook about a recent theft in town she finds him in a less than healthy state. He refuses to leave the comfort of his ship leaving her no choice but to take care of him there. AU Sick!Hook NOW COMPLETE
1. Pirate in Distress

**A/N: Another new fic because my muse won't leave me alone. This is a Sick!Hook fic. And of course who else is going to come help take care of the sick pirate but our blonde sheriff princess. **

_Chapter 1: Pirate in Distress_

The week had been crazy enough without having to add random thefts into the mix. Emma had been busy with several random fights and now multiple people were calling in to report missing objects and a break in or two. How was she supposed to manage all of this? Luckily David was there to help with some of the issues, but there was getting to be too many complaints even for the two of them. Mary Margaret ended up stepping in to help out, but it was still going to take some time to deal with everything. Emma decided to stick to the thefts that had been reported, mainly because she had an idea where to start.

Ever since Killian had shown up in town, he had decided to start stealing to get Emma's attention. At least that is what Emma thought most of the time. Most of the things that he stole were small objects that he would really have no use for, so Emma couldn't come up with any other reason as to why he was doing it. He did a good job pretending to act innocent and the items he stole always ended up finding their way to the sheriff's station after she talked to Killian. Emma was starting to wonder when he was going to get tired of playing this game.

Emma was heading toward Killian's ship as she always did when things went missing. It was getting to be something she did on practically a weekly basis. Every time she went there looking for him, he would already be on the deck of the ship as if he was just waiting for her to show up there. It made him all the more suspicious. Somehow he had managed to avoid getting arrested over these instances. She could never actually prove it was him and the missing items always ended up showing up again.

Once Emma got to the docks she headed to where she knew the invisible gangplank was to board the Jolly Roger. She had been aboard the ship far more often than she would like to admit, but she always found it strangely beautiful. Killian had told her with pride that it was made of enchanted wood and she couldn't help but get caught up in his stories sometimes. It was becoming a problem when she realized how distracted she got when she was with him. It made her consider going back to the station and forgetting questioning Hook, but even when her mind told her it was a bad idea, something told her to continue on.

When she boarded the Jolly Roger she expected to find Hook waiting in his usual spot across from the gangplank, but this time he wasn't standing there. It was strange. Every time Killian had stolen something he was always waiting for her. Emma wasn't sure what was going on, but she decided to go below deck to see what Hook was up to. She had never actually been below the deck of the Jolly Roger thought Killian had made comments about her going to his cabin with him. As she walked through the dark hallway below deck she hoped that she wasn't walking into some trap. Still her curiosity got the best of her and she found herself standing in front of the captain's cabin.

Emma decided to knock instead of just barging into the room. She had no idea what she expected, but everything seemed to be silent on the other side of the door. Again, she knocked louder, hoping to hear Hook say something or moving, but once again all there was, was silence. This time Emma opened the door to peek her head in, trying to see if Hook was even there. She was surprised to see him lying in his bed, but something was off. He wasn't moving and he hadn't even acknowledged that he heard her knocking at the door.

Something was wrong. It wasn't like him to actually stay still and as she moved further into the room he didn't make a sound. He appeared to be sleeping almost uncomfortably. Emma bent down to examine his face, expecting him to open his eyes, but they remained closed. When Emma placed her hand to his forehead she pulled it back surprised to find him burning up.

"Hook?" Emma asked. His brow furrowed at the sound of her voice, but his eyes remained shut. "Hook?" she asked again, putting her hand back to his forehead. He was clearly running a pretty fierce fever and he was sweating. When she pulled her hand away, he opened his eyes looking up at her confused.

"Swan?" he asked voice hoarse. "How did you get here?"

"I walked aboard your ship," Emma replied. "What do you think? How long have you been like this?"

"I'm fine," Killian replied weakly.

"You are not fine," Emma stated, feeling his head again. "You're burning up and you probably need to go to the hospital."

"You're not taking me anywhere off of this ship, love," said Killian. "I'll be fine."

"You don't know that," said Emma not even trying to hide the worry in her voice. "You likely need medicine and I doubt you have any here."

"You're worried about me, Swan?" Killian asked with a faint smirk before coughing and grimacing in pain.

"You are clearly not okay, but it's not like I can carry you off this ship," said Emma. Killian didn't seem to be paying attention anymore when she picked up her cell phone and dialed Dr. Whale. Even if she couldn't get him off the ship she could still get Dr. Whale to come here to see him. The last thing she was going to do is let the stupid pirate die because he was too stubborn to ask for help.

Emma waited at the door to the captain's cabin for Dr. Whale to show up. Killian had fallen back asleep. It appeared that the brief conversation they had took a lot out of him. She didn't want to admit it, but she was worried about him. He never told her how long he had been like this and it wasn't like there was a thermometer anywhere to tell her how high the fever he had was running. Emma began to tap her foot nervously as she kept looking back to the bed where the pirate slept.

There was a sound of footsteps coming down the hallway and she peeked to see Dr. Whale making his way to the cabin. She let out a sigh of relief hoping that the doctor would be able to do something to help the stubborn pirate.

"What's going on?" Dr. Whale asked when he made it to the doorway.

Emma glanced back at Killian lying in the bed. "He was like this when I got here. He's burning up, has a cough, and refuses to leave his ship."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," said Dr. Whale entering the room to examine the pirate. "Any chance in waking him enough for him to talk to me?"

"He was awake a little while ago," said Emma walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge before moving her hand over to Killian's head. She brushed his hair out of his eyes and his brow furrowed again. "Hook, wake up. Dr. Whale needs to see you."

Killian opened his eyes just barley glancing at Emma before turning toward the doctor standing on his other side.

"How did I get here?" he asked.

"You didn't go anywhere, he came to you," said Emma.

"He can do that?" Killian asked and Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"He is capable of leaving the hospital if he needs to," said Emma.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Whale asked.

"Bloody awful," Killian replied weakly.

"I would imagine so," said Whale, pulling a thermometer out of his bag. "I need you to put this under your tongue."

"What the bloody hell is that?" Killian asked, brow furrowing as he attempted to focus on the object in Dr. Whale's hand.

"It's a thermometer," Whale explained. "It is used to tell us what your body temperature is."

"How does it do that?" he asked, suspicious.

"Just put it under your tongue, Hook," said Emma. "We don't really have time to explain how everything here works."

"Fine," he choked out before coughing again. He moved his hand to his chest and opened his mouth so the doctor could put the foreign object under his tongue.

"Now close your mouth," Whale instructed. Killian did so without another word still looking between the two. Neither of them spoke as the electric thermometer beeped noting that it was done. When Whale pulled the thermometer from Killian's mouth he read it out loud.

"103.4," he stated, reaching into his bag again. This time he pulled out a bottle of pills. Emma watched as Killian began to dose off again.

"Hook, wake up," said Emma, pushing against his shoulder. He grumbled and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but we have to give you something to bring your fever down."

Dr. Whale handed Emma a bottle of water and Tylenol. Before digging though he bag once again. Emma just held the two items as she watched for what the doctor was looking for this time. He pulled out a few packets of pills from his bag and set them on the bed next to Emma. She eyed them curiously before Dr. Whale closed his bag.

"Antibiotics," He explained. "They get some samples at the hospital; I figured he might be able to use them."

"Thank you," said Emma as Dr. Whale stood up.

"I wouldn't leave him alone," he replied, while glancing at the now sleeping pirate. "He isn't likely to actually take care of himself in his condition and wouldn't know what to do with the pills."

"You're telling me I need to stay with him?" Emma asked, horrified at the thought of sleeping on the ship.

"Someone has to," he replied. "And I'm afraid I have other patients to tend to. If you think he can handle this himself then go ahead and leave, but I warn you that he isn't exactly in good condition. The hospital would be the best place for him, but I imagine that is out of the question."

"Yeah," said Emma looking back to Killian, wondering how she was going to take care of the pirate on this ship.

"Get him to take the Tylenol and the antibiotics and keep an eye on him," said Whale heading to the door. "If he gets any worse call me."

"Okay," said Emma as Dr. Whale took his leave.

Emma looked back at the sleeping pirate as he began to cough again. The look of pain on his face made Emma uncomfortable for him. She hadn't been this sick many times in her life, but she knew how horrible it was. There had never been anyone there to help take care of her when she needed it, so she wasn't going to leave him to fend for himself.


	2. Bedside Manner

**A/N: Another chapter. Will try to work on the next. And Lisa I'm attempting to work on Shared Bodies. My muse is not cooperating. :/**

_Chapter 2: Bedside Manner_

Emma put the packets of antibiotics and the bottle of Tylenol on a nearby table, taking one antibiotic and two Tylenol out and grabbing the bottle of water. She headed back to the bed where Killian was still sleeping. Though she hated to wake him when he was trying to rest she knew that he needed to take the medicine and get the fever down. Emma sat down on the side of the bed and moved her hand to the pirate's cheek. He opened his eyes to look at her partially annoyed.

"I know you're tired," said Emma with a smile. "But you need to take the medicine Dr. Whale brought for you. It will help make you feel better."

Killian attempted to sit up with some difficulty and immediately fell back into the bed with a groan. Emma reached over to help him and he reluctantly took her hands as she lifted him to the sitting position. He leaned against her attempting to catch his breath. Emma realized that he didn't have the energy to do much as she pulled him closer, letting him use her as his anchor. His opened his eyes briefly before shutting them again.

"Everything's spinning," he mumbled.

"It's okay," said Emma holding up the three pills. "I need you to take this medicine. It won't work right away, but it will help make you feel better. There are three pills you have to just swallow. They taste terrible if you let them sit in your mouth so I need you to swallow them immediately when I put them in your mouth. I have water to help get them down."

Killian just nodded and looked up at her. "You're beautiful when I'm sick."

Emma laughed. "I think you're getting delirious," she stated.

"No, it's true," he replied before going into another coughing fit.

"Alright, enough of that," she said, helping him sit up a little straighter. "Open your mouth."

Killian did what she said opening his mouth. She popped the three pills into his mouth before quickly uncapping the water and holding the bottle up to his lips.

"Take a drink," she said, tilting the bottle enough so he could feel the water against his lips. He moved his hand up to help her tilt the bottle so he could drink from it. Once he swallowed, Emma moved the bottle away watching has he licked his lips. His eyes remained closed as he leaned against her again.

"Did you get them down?" she asked.

"Yes," he rasped. "Awful."

"I know," said Emma with a smile, helping him to lie back down on the bed. "But it will help."

"Whatever you say, love," he replied keeping his eyes closed.

It was going to take a little while for the Tylenol to take effect and he was still burning up. Emma knew she had to find another way to help cool him down, but she wasn't exactly sure what she would be able to do. It wasn't like she could go to the fridge and get an ice pack. Here she would have to find some other way to keep his fever down, but she wasn't sure what. She could leave and get some supplies before coming back, he did appear to be sound asleep again and she wouldn't be long. Emma stood up from the bed and headed to the cabin door before glancing back to the now sleeping pirate.

##############

It had only taken Emma a half an hour at the most to gather some supplies she would need to take care of Killian while he was on board his ship. She got more bottled water, a bag of ice which she put in a cooler, some blankets, washcloths, and a couple changes of clothes for her. If she was going to be staying on board the ship to take care of the pirate for a few days she wasn't about to stay in her same clothes. When she made it back to the captain's cabin, Killian was still in the same spot she left him. He didn't look any better and she could tell he was still burning up.

Emma took a couple of the washcloths and wetted them with the water before sitting them in the bag of ice to get them cold before walking over to where the pirate was sleeping. She put her hand on his forehead, but she couldn't tell if his fever had come down at all. At her touch he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"I thought I had dreamed that you were here," he admitted.

Emma smiled. "I'm really here; I just needed to get some things. You're fever isn't coming down and I needed something to help cool you off."

Killian reached up to touch her cheek. Emma was surprised by the action, but stood still wondering what was going on in his head.

"Real," he stated simply.

Emma smiled grabbing his hand and holding it in hers. "Yes, I'm real," she stated. "And I have some cold washcloths that might help get you cooled off."

Emma let go of his hand before walking over to the area where she had dropped the bag of ice and washcloths. She grabbed one of the cold washcloths out of the bag and headed back to the bed sitting next to Killian before placing the cold fabric on his head. He gasped and jumped when the cold washcloth touched his skin but eased back into the bed after a moment. Emma smiled at the fact that he almost seemed more comfortable before hopping off the bed to grab another washcloth. When she sat back down on the bed Killian was looking at her.

"What?" she asked as she began to dab the washcloth to his neck and exposed chest.

"Why are you doing this?" Killian asked. His voice was still very hoarse and he appeared to be in pain when he spoke.

"I don't know," Emma answered honestly. "I guess it's because I had been alone most of my life. I've been sick several times and every time I wished that someone was there to take care of me. Honestly, I was kind of scared when I found you here. You don't ask anyone for help even when you clearly need it. I guess I didn't want you to be alone like I always have been."

"I don't understand why you care," said Killian. "But thank you."

Emma smiled as Killian closed his eyes again. She thought about why she cared and she didn't understand it herself. The idea that he wouldn't be there anymore caused her pain and she wished she could figure out why. Had she really grown attached to the irritating pirate that wouldn't leave her alone? They did have a fair amount in common and she did enjoy spending time with him so she figured she might be able to call him a friend. She wished that Dr. Whale had left his thermometer so she could keep an eye on his temperature. There wasn't one in her apartment and she hadn't really thought of picking one up before coming back to the ship.

At this time she wasn't willing to leave him again. He was starting to look a little more peaceful while sleeping which made Emma think that maybe his temperature was coming down some. She took the cold washcloth off his forehead and placed it on his chest. He shivered, but didn't open his eyes. Emma began to stroke his hair while she watched his chest rise and fall. There was no way of telling how long he would be sick, but she knew that at the very least she would need to stay with him for a few days. At least until she knew he would be able to take care of himself.

Emma was getting lost in her thoughts and had stopped paying attention to Killian, though she continued to stroke his hair. When she began to focus again she looked down to see Killian starting at her with a confused expression on his face. She realized that she was still stroking his hair subconsciously and moved her hand away before biting her lip embarrassed. He gave her a slight smirk.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"S. . .Sorry," Emma stuttered. "I . . . don't really know. I guess it just seemed natural. . . . I thought you were sleeping."

"I feel like there is a cannon ball on my chest," Killian explained. "Sleeping isn't very easy."

"I'm sorry," Emma repeated.

"You're cute when you're flustered," he stated, smirking.

"Shut up," Emma said turning her head in an attempt to hide the blush that was creeping up on her.

Killian laughed causing another fit of coughing. He groaned putting his hand up to his chest.

"Okay, I'm seriously regretting not getting you cough syrup now," said Emma with a small smile.

"What's that?" He asked unable to hide the pain in his voice.

"Its liquid medicine that helps with the cough," Emma explained.

"Does it taste as awful as the other medicine you gave me?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Worse actually," Emma admitted.

"Then no thank you," Killian replied, closing his eyes again.

"I'm not actually trying to poison you, you know," said Emma with a small laugh. "I'm trying to help you get better."

"You keep telling me that, but how can I be so sure?" he asked raising his eyebrow at her.

"If I didn't want you better I could have just left you here alone when I found you," Emma replied with a smirk. "Problem solved."

"Fair enough," Killian replied.

"Besides, I actually miss hearing your stories," Emma admitted. "They help me get away from the real world for a little while. And it would be best if you were actually able to stay awake for more than ten minutes and didn't sound like you were dying."

"I didn't know you actually enjoyed my stories that much," Killian stated.

"I've spent far too many hours here listening to you tell stories about Neverland," Emma pointed out. "More than I ever intended to. When I was younger I always wanted to go to Neverland."

"Maybe, after you cure me, I will take you there," he said with a laugh before coughing again and grimacing.

"I might take you up on that offer," Emma stated with a smile, resting her hand on his forehead. He was still warm, but the fever did appear to have come down some. "You need to rest now. Sleep is always good when you're sick."

"Are you going to be here when I wake up?" he asked, almost afraid that she would leave once he closed his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised.


	3. Delirium

**A/N: Somehow managed to finish two chapters of two different stories in one day. Don't get used to that, my muse isn't always so nice. ;)**

_Chapter 3: Delirium _

Emma had no idea when she had fallen asleep. She had been watching Killian as he slept and apparently dozed off unaware of how tired she actually was. When she woke she found that she was leaning her head against Killian's shoulder. That fact would have made her uncomfortable had she not noticed how hot his skin had become. She immediately shot up and put her hand to his forehead. He was burning up again, but this time it seemed worse. His entire face was red and she could see the uncomfortable look on his face as he slept.

"Hook?" Emma asked nudging him, but he didn't move. "Hook, you need to wake up."

Still he didn't move which concerned Emma. She walked over to the cooler and opened it where there were still several washcloths in the icy water. Quickly she picked up two of the soaked cloths and ran back to the bed, putting one on his forehead and using the other to dab any exposed skin. Unlike before, he didn't react to the cold fabric on his skin and that made Emma all the more worried. She continued to move the wet cloth over his exposed skin in an attempt to help him cool down. He needed to take more medicine, but he would have to be at least partially awake if she was going to get the pills down him.

"Hook, wake up," Emma urged, pushing his arm in an attempt to get his attention. "Damn it, Killian, open your eyes."

Killian's brow furrowed as he slowly opened his eyes and attempted to focus on her. Emma let out a sigh of relief. At least now he was awake. She had no idea if he was going to be able to acknowledge her there or take the pills, but she at least got him awake. Quickly she got off the bed and grabbed the pills before returning with them and a bottle of water.

"Why are there birds in here?" Killian asked when she sat back down on the bed. Emma looked around to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there. _Great, he's hallucinating_. Emma thought, but at least he was awake.

"I have more medicine for you," Emma stated, holding up the three pills. "Do you think I can help you sit up to take them?"

"Don't want," he said weakly.

"I know, but you need to take them so you can get better," Emma replied.

"Tell the squirrels to leave my feet alone," Killian said groggily.

"Um. . . okay," Emma replied, unable to hide the worry on her face. Not that it really matter, he was only barely there at the moment and she wondered if he even knew who she was. "Take these pills, it will keep the squirrels away from you."

Killian nodded as if that made sense and sat up shakily, leaning on Emma once again for support. This time he opened his mouth without her urging and she popped the pills in his mouth and brought the bottle of water to his lips. He lifted his hand up to tilt the bottle further as he took several long gulps. Emma didn't realize how thirsty he might have been. It made sense though she had been with him for at least twenty four hours and the little bit of water she gave him was all he had to drink. She let him finish off the bottle before dropping the empty container to the bed. Finally he opened his eyes and looked up at her with confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked, and that was when Emma realized how far gone he was.

"It's Emma," she replied, not even trying to hide how scared she was for him.

"Swan?" he asked. And Emma let out a sigh of relief. At least he did remember who she was, even if he didn't apparently recognize her.

"Yes," she said, picking up one of the washcloths and moving the wet cloth over his neck to try to continue to bring his fever down.

He looked up at her. "Why is your hair blue?"

"Um. . ." Emma tried to search for an answer to that. Clearly he was seeing things and she hoped that his fever would come down soon so he would at least start making some sense. "Don't worry about that right now. You need to rest and cool down. I have half a mind to dump a bucket of ice on you."

"Don't drown me," Killian mumbled, pulling away from her as if she was there to hurt him.

"I'm not going to drown you," Emma reassured, but she was surprised to see him fairly awake and standing at the edge of his bed looking at her with fear. "It's going to be okay." She said, getting out of the bed and standing next to him.

"You're trying to kill me," he stated, backing away from her, but his legs were shaking with the effort to stay upright.

"I'm trying to help you," Emma said, reaching her hands out to catch him, if he happened to fall. She was amazed that he managed to have the strength to stand at all right now, but as she reached her hands out to him, he made his way around the other side of the bed and toward a leather armchair that was sitting in the corner. _Great, now he's not only hallucinating, he's paranoid_. Emma thought. She slowly followed him toward the armchair, trying to convey that she was only here to help him. When he sat back in the armchair, Emma stopped and went back over to the cooler, grabbing another washcloth, and using it to wrap around some of the ice before moving over to him.

"I know this is cold, but you need to cool down," she stated, moving to dab his neck and head with the ice. He jumped at the sensation, but settled into the chair and closed his eyes, much to Emma's relief he had stopped fighting her. His brow furrowed again, but he remained still as she tried to move the ice over every area of exposed skin in an attempt to bring the fever down. Emma noticed that he was wearing a pair of plain cloth pants that tied and a simple cloth shirt. She hadn't noticed when he was lying in bed that he wasn't in his normal leather attire. It made sense that he wouldn't be sleeping in leather, but Emma hadn't really thought about it before.

"Why is it so hot in here?" he asked, weakly.

"It's not," Emma replied. "You're running a fever."

Emma stood over him and smiled as she let the cold water run down his face. Despite his condition he still looked handsome. Emma shook her head trying to push that thought out of her head. She needed to focus right now and not let her mind wander. Killian gave her a knowing smirk as if he had been able to read her mind. Part of it relieved her to see him starting to act more like himself, but she was also suspicious.

"What?" she asked, looking him in the eye and wondering what he was thinking.

"You're beautiful," he stated simply.

Emma blushed and looked away. "I am not."

Killian grabbed her shirt and tugged harder than Emma thought he had the strength for. It caused her to lose balance and fall forward. Next thing she knew she was straddling his lap and he had his handless arm behind her back. It was the first time she had even noticed that he wasn't wearing his hook. He seemed a lot more with it than he had been several moments ago and it caught her off guard.

"K. . Killian," she stuttered. "Wh. . .what are you doing?"

Instead of speaking he moved his right hand up to stroke her cheek. Emma was frozen unsure of how to react at the moment. He was still running the fever and she didn't even know if this was him being himself or if he was still delirious. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she could feel her breathing becoming shallow. The way he was looking at her was not fair and she found herself unable to pull away from him.

"Killian?" Emma asked, attempting to get some kind of answer from him. He moved his hand behind her neck and pulled her close crashing his lips to hers. Emma gasped in surprise, but found herself responding right away as her eyes drifted shut. Her hand moved behind his neck of its own accord as she moved her lips against his, momentarily forgetting the real reason she was there. After a minute she pulled back attempting to catch her breath. Her hand remained at his neck and she could feel that his skin had cooled down some even though he was still running a fever. Killian closed his eyes.

"I'm tired," he said quietly.

"You need to rest," Emma replied, heart still beating wildly in her chest. "Come on, I'll help you to the bed."

Emma stood up thankful to be out of such a compromising position and held her hand out to him. He opened his eyes and took it, letting her help him to stand on his feet. Apparently, all the work it took for him to get to the chair had caught up with him, because he stumbled as soon as he was on his feet. Emma caught him and held him close to her, letting him get balanced. When he looked her in the eyes she could feel her heart skip a beat and she tried desperately to hide the effect he was currently having on her. Slowly she managed to get him back to the bed and he immediately laid back down. However, this time he didn't shut his eyes; he looked up at her and smiled. It was a genuine smile instead of his usual smirk and it made Emma feel almost weak in the knees. He patted the area next to him and Emma couldn't help but smile back before sitting down on the bed and lying down next to him.

The exhaustion of the day hit her almost immediately and she could already feel herself starting to doze off when she felt him wrap his hand around hers, tangling their fingers. She looked over to him giving him a questioning look, but she didn't pull away.

"I need something to remind me that you're really here," he explained weakly. She just smiled before looking back up to the ceiling, letting herself fall asleep with her hand firmly grasping his.


	4. Fevered Revealations

**A/N: Another chapter. Be warned though I have started Roleplaying as Hook a lot on tumblr and it has kept me pretty distracted. On with the story.**

_Chapter 4: Fevered Revelations_

When Emma woke up she was on her side and could feel Killian lying right behind her. He had his handless arm draped over her waist and she wondered when they had managed to get into the position during the night. Emma brought her left hand over the jagged scar of where his hand used to be. She frowned, thinking about how hard it must have been for him to learn how to do everything one handed. Anger began to boil up inside of her at the thought of Gold taking someone he loved and his hand. The thought of Killian having to go through all of that alone made her wonder if his tough exterior was just a way he dealt with the pain. Suddenly, Killian pulled his arm away from her and Emma looked back at him confused. He almost looked embarrassed and she wondered what was going through his head.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

"It's okay," said Emma unsure what he was sorry about.

"It's ugly," Killian stated, his eyes were hooded and he didn't look her in the eyes. That's when Emma realized he was talking about the scar.

"It doesn't bother me Killian," Emma replied sitting up and moving her hand to stroke his hair out of his eyes. He still felt warm, but his fever had come down enough that she didn't feel as worried anymore. She reached over to grab his left arm, wrapping her hand around the wrist where the scar was and bringing it up to her lips placing a soft kiss on it. Killian sat up in the bed abruptly, surprising Emma that he had managed to regain that kind of strength. He cupped her cheek and Emma just looked at him.

"You're amazing," he whispered and Emma couldn't help but smile as she put her hand over his.

"I'm not," Emma replied. "I just accept you for you."

Killian surprised her once again, by pulling her into a hug. Emma would never have thought him the type of man to hug, but then again the fever had been making him act strange and out of character at times. She smiled and hugged him back before pulling away and looking him in the eyes. She was curious about something, but she had never wanted to ask him before.

"What?" he asked when he noticed she was just staring at him.

"Tell me about what happened," said Emma, ghosting her fingers over his stump. Killian looked down at it, then back up to her.

"I met Milah in a tavern," he started. "She was unhappy with her life. Her husband was a coward and she didn't love him. She was always so bright and cheerful despite the life she didn't want. I fell in love with her and she loved me. One day when we were drinking in the tavern, he showed up looking for her. After her son came into the tavern, she left with him. But later that night she came to me. She said she couldn't stand to live with him anymore and she begged me to take her with me. I loved her, so I agreed."

Emma listened intently, refusing to interrupt afraid that he would stop and close himself back up again. She knew that he had walls of his own and she wanted to know what really happened, the full extent of it.

"The next day the crocodile found my ship and came looking for his wife. Milah didn't want to go back with him and I didn't want him to know she left him. So when he thought that I had taken her against her will, I let him think that. I gave him the opportunity to get her back. I challenged him to a duel, but he refused to fight. I told him that a man who is unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets, than told him to leave my ship. He did."

Killian closed his eyes rubbing the side of his face. It was clear that the memory hurt him. Emma leaned in and placed a kiss to his cheek and he looked back at her. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Years later, I met him again," Killian continued. "It was outside of the tavern that I met Milah in. He asked me what happened to Milah and I lied. I told him she died. I didn't want him to ever find out she was still with me. He challenged me to a duel and threatened to kill my entire crew if I didn't show up. I fought him, but he had magic. It wasn't a fair fight and I lost. He plunged his hand into my chest and I could feel him squeezing my heart, but Milah showed up and stopped him. She agreed to give him what he was looking for if he let both of us go. He wanted a magic bean we had in our possession. He agreed and she helped me back to the ship while the crocodile followed. But he was still angry at her for leaving, not just him, but their son. Milah threw me the bean and I caught it with my left hand. He tied me to the mast and ripped her heart out. I managed to get to her as she fell to the ground. He crushed her heart and she died in my arms. The last thing she said to me was, I love you, and I never got the chance to say it back. That's when he cut off my left hand. He thought I still had the bean in it, never realizing I had moved it. I took a fallen hook and stabbed him in the chest, but you can't kill him that way. I promised him that one day I would find a way, then he disappeared and the hook fell to the deck. That's when I decided that I would use that hook to replace my hand and exact revenge on him for killing my love."

Emma nodded, unsure of what to say. She remembered what happened to Graham and the fact that Henry said Regina had his heart. It made her realize why he was so motivated for his revenge. Though she knew what Gold had taken from him, she never knew the circumstances in which it happened.

"I'm sorry, Killian," she finally said, pulling him into a hug. He leaned against her and didn't say anything. Emma realized how hard it must have been to actually relieve that part of his past. She pulled away from the hug and he looked at her with a faint smile. "I lost someone like that too," she said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

"What?" Killian asked, giving her a confused look.

"I didn't love him," Emma explained. "But I could have. He thought he didn't have a heart and went looking for it. Regina found us and we got in a fight. He was cleaning my wound and I kissed him. He said he remembered. I guess he remembered who he was before the curse. I never got the chance to ask him. He leaned in to kiss me again and he just fell to the ground. . . . dead. Henry told me that Regina had his heart and crushed it. I didn't believe him at the time, but I do now."

Emma felt a tear make it down her cheek, but Killian wiped it away. She looked up at him and saw an emotion in his eyes she didn't think she recognized. He leaned in and kissed her lightly and Emma let her eyes drift closed. She brought her hand up to cup his cheek and kissed him back, but was startled at how hot he felt again, pulling away from him. He looked at her confusion written all over his face.

"You're burning up again," Emma explained. "You need to take your medicine."

Killian just nodded, looking exhausted all over again. She got off the bed and grabbed the pills and another bottle of water before sitting down next to him again. When she handed him the pills he popped them into his mouth and took the water without question. Emma was surprised that he seemed to get used to the taking the medicine. He drank half the bottle of water before handing it back to her lying down on the bed. Emma found herself studying his face when he closed his eyes and stroking his hair as she did before. She felt closer to him now. They had revealed the pain of loss in their life and she felt like she understood him better. Killian cracked one eye open and looked at her.

"You're doing it again," he said quietly with an amused smirk. Emma laughed.

"I know," she said, but this time she didn't pull away from him and continued to stroke his hair. Killian opened both of his eyes and looked up at her curiously, before smiling and closing them again. He let out a sigh and Emma couldn't help but smile.

"Emma," Killian said so quietly that she almost didn't hear him. She leaned in closer so she could hear well.

"Yes?" she asked just as quietly.

His brow furrowed. "I think I'm in love with you."

Emma froze in shock and she could feel her heart skip a beat at those words. When she looked down at him he didn't even act like he had said anything.

"What?" she asked quietly, but she got no response. He had already fallen asleep.


	5. Slow Recovery

**A/N: I know it has been a while since I posted a chapter. Got caught up with work and RPing on tumblr. Doesn't mean I have gave up on any of my stories though. Part of the reason this took so long to finish was because my muse took this in a completely different and unintended direction. So uh. . . *cough* There is smut in this chapter and I had to increase the rating. Hope it came out okay.**

_Chapter 5: Slow Recovery_

Emma didn't know how long she had slept. With everything that was going on she was beginning to lose track of time. When she woke up she had her head resting against Killian's chest and she could feel him rubbing comforting circles into her back. She smiled, but didn't open her eyes, not wanting to let go of the feeling of being close to him. She remembered what he said before he fell asleep and she wondered if he would even know that he said it. Part of it scared her, but at the same time she was relieved, relieved to know that she wasn't the only one falling.

Finally, Emma decided to look up at him and he gave her one of his usual smirks. She lifted her hand up and rested it against his cheek, noticing that his fever was almost gone. She let out a sigh of relief hoping that this time the fever would actually stay down. He gave her a curious look and she looked at him confused.

"What?" she asked.

"I half expected you to be gone when I woke up," he admitted, with a shrug.

"Why is that?" she asked confused. He bit his bottom lip, but didn't say anything. Emma smiled, cupping his cheek, and leaning up to kiss him. Killian gasped against her lips, but moved his hand up to rest at the back of her neck as he kissed her back. Emma knew that he remembered telling her how he felt last night and her normal instinct would have been to run, but despite the fact that he had been gravely ill for the past few days, he made her that much more aware of her feelings. This time she didn't want to run from them. For once, she actually wanted to find out where they would go.

Killian pulled away from her looking her in the eyes as he stroked her cheek. "What was that for?"

"You scared me when I first came here," said Emma. "At first I didn't understand why. I honestly didn't know if you were going to make it. You're fever was so high and you refused to leave the ship. It's when I realized that I didn't want to lose you."

Emma could feel a tear fall down her cheek, but Killian wiped it away and pulled her close. She melted into his arms and let out a sigh. When she felt him stroking her hair she smiled and looked up at him.

"I love you," she said softly.

Killian looked down at her and smiled before pulling her into another kiss. Emma pulled him closer and gave a yelp of surprise when he rolled them so he was over her. Killian smirked down at her before leaning in to capture her lips with his again. She fisted one hand in his shirt while wrapping the other around his neck, pulling him closer. It was amazing that it had taken so long to get to this point and it took the fear of losing him to get her to admit her feelings. Killian began to trail kisses down her jaw and neck and Emma let her eyes drift shut and sighed.

Emma arched her back off the bed and reached up to tug at his hair. Killian growled against her skin and she let out a breathy moan before grabbing the material of his shirt and pulling it off over his head. She leaned up and pulled him into a hungry kiss and he wasted no time kissing her back with equal fervor. The two were so lost in the passion that Emma almost didn't hear the sound of someone clearing their throat at the doorway. They both pulled back from each other surprised and looked to the doorway to see Dr. Whale standing there with and amused grin on his face.

"I see you're feeling better, Captain," Dr. Whale noted. Emma buried her face in Killian's chest, too embarrassed to look at the doctor.

"Quite," Killian replied, raising an eyebrow. "Do you ever knock?"

"The door was already open, Captain," Dr. Whale stated.

"You left the door open?" Killian asked, looking back to Emma.

She bit her bottom lip. "It wasn't my priority at the time, Killian," she stated, pushing him off of her and looked back to Dr. Whale. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure everything was going okay with you taking care of our sick pirate," Whale answered. "Didn't exactly expect what I walked into."

Emma buried her face in her hands. She couldn't believe that Dr. Whale had walked in on them, but was thankful that it hadn't made it any further when he did.

"As you can see, I'm feeling quite a bit better," Killian stated with a smirk. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"No," said Dr. Whale. "But I wouldn't overdo it if I were you. You may be feeling better now, but if you push yourself too hard it could cause the recovery process to slow down. Just a fair warning."

"Dually noted," Killian replied.

Emma finally looked up and just nodded to the doctor. He gave them both a smile before he finally left. Emma leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes wondering what had gotten into her. When she felt his hand against her cheek she opened them again looking up at him. Killian smirked before leaning down to kiss her again. Emma's hand went to his cheek automatically and she was amazed at how easy she could lose herself when she was kissing him. Killian pulled back and looked her in the eye.

"I suppose we should do like the good doctor says and behave," he stated with a smirk.

"Where's the fun in that?" Emma asked, breathless, unsure where this side of her was coming from.

Killian let out a low growl before moving to hover over her and leaning in to kiss her hungrily. Emma wrapped her arms around his back, stroking her fingers over the muscles there as Killian tugged at the hem of her shirt. Emma sat up enough to pull the shirt off and toss it aside with his. There was a voice in the back of her head that said this was a bad idea, but a louder voice told her she wanted this. The latter was the one she listened to.

The next thing Emma knew they were both completely undressed and he was kissing her with a passion she didn't expect. Her arms were around his neck and she could feel the need for him begin to build. She smirked against his lips and rolled them over so she was straddling him. He let out a surprised gasp and she grinned down at him, rolling her hips against his.

"_Emma_," he groaned, head falling back against the pillows.

Emma bit her bottom lip and leaned down to brush her lips against his lightly. "The doctor said you're supposed to rest," she whispered.

"I don't think this constitutes as rest," Killian gasped out. "But I don't think we should stop."

"I have no intentions of stopping," Emma replied, as she trailed a line of kissed down his jaw line and to his ear nipping at his earlobe.

This was probably something she shouldn't being doing right now. He had been sick and now that he was starting to recover all she could think about was being with him. At one point there would have been a voice in her head telling her that she needed to stop this. That it was a bad idea. But for some reason that voice remained silent and the only voice in her head was telling her to get on with it. Emma lifted herself up before lowering herself on him a gasp escaping her lips when he was right where she wanted him.

"_Gods_," Killian breathed out, head rolling back against the pillow.

Emma bit her lip trying to contain the moan that wanted to escape as she started to set a steady pace with her hips. Killian pulled her down to his lips kissing her with unrestrained passion that almost caused Emma to lose her breath. Killian began to thrust his hips upward to meet hers and she moaned against his lips. Despite the fact that Emma had been fighting what she was feeling for the pirate, she knew that this was inevitably going to happen. She couldn't continue to hide the desire she had for the man.

Killian rested his hand on her hip as he increased the rate of his thrusts, Emma could already feel her release approaching quickly and she couldn't believe that he had that kind of effect on her. Her breathing was becoming ragged and she could tell that she was having the same effect on him. She continued to rock her hips against his insistently as she felt herself begin to fall over the edge.

As her peak hit, Killian stilled his hips groaning out her name. Emma cried out as the waves of pleasure shot through her and she collapsed against his chest. She buried her head at his neck as she attempted to get control of her breathing. All of the pent up tension and fear she had over the past few days were finally gone and she felt like she had finally found someone she belonged with. Part of her was terrified by that prospect, but she could no longer deny her feelings for him.

"I love you," he breathed out, stroking her cheek.

Emma smiled. "I love you too."


	6. Something New

**A/N: This is the last chapter. Sorry it's shorter than most of my others have been. You can thank the random anon on my tumblr RP account who harassed me until I put this up for making it happen. Hopefully the ending came out all right. Thanks for reading.**

_Chapter 6: Something New_

It was a strange feeling for Emma. Feeling like she belonged. She spent most of her life moving from town to town, never truly finding a place where she wanted to stay. When she came to Storybrooke, she stayed for Henry. Now she felt like she had another reason to stay. She glanced over at the sleeping man next to her and smiled. Though she had told herself that she would never let herself fall in love again, she couldn't stop herself from falling for the pirate. She reached her hand out to stroke his cheek and noted that he was running a fever again.

Emma furrowed her brow. She knew it wasn't really a good idea to have sex when he had been as sick as he was, but she wasn't able to control herself. And now she was regretting that. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him to get that bad again. Killian opened his eyes and looked over at her smiling. His smile managed to make her heart flutter in her chest as she smiled back.

"Good morning, love," he said softly, reaching up to stroke her cheek.

Emma smiled, covering her hand with his. "Good morning," she returned. "Unfortunately, I think we caused your fever to come back."

"Worth it," he whispered, with a grin that caused Emma to laugh.

"Well, I think now you need to actually rest again," she replied, leaning in to kiss him softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Killian groaned as he pulled her closer. "Keep kissing me like that and I won't be able to rest, lass."

Emma smiled against his lips and reluctantly pulled away. "I guess we will just have to wait until you get better."

"That's a shame," he said with a smile, leaning up to capture her lips with his again.

Emma chuckled against his lips and pushed him back down to the bed. "You are actually going to rest this time," she said with a grin. "And you should probably take your medicine."

"Very well, lass," he replied with a smile, sitting up in the bed some. "I suppose I should assume that it is actually helping, I don't feel nearly as awful as I had before."

"Good, because they were supposed to help," she said, standing up and walking over to get the medicine and another bottle of water. "And you don't look nearly as awful as you did when I found you here."

"Why did you come here to begin with?" he asked, curiously as she walked back over to the bed.

"I . . . I don't actually remember now," she admitted with a chuckle as she handed him the bottle of water and pills. "I think I came to ask you something, but when I saw how sick you were . . . whatever I came for kind of left my mind. I was just worried."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly taking the pills and popping them in his mouth before taking a drink of the water.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Killian," Emma replied, sitting back down on the bed next to him. "You don't really get a choice when it comes to getting sick."

"I didn't think anybody in the town would want to help me when I felt like I was coming down with something," he admitted. "So I just stayed here trying to wait it out. I guess that's why it got so bad."

Emma frowned slightly, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "It doesn't matter now. I found you and you're going to be fine."

"I . . . didn't actually think anybody would care if I was gone," he said quietly, looking down.

"Killian?" she asked, turning his face towards her. "I would have never been able to live with myself if that happened. Even before all of this. I would have constantly wondered what could have happened between us if I wasn't so afraid of reliving my past."

Killian smiled, laying back down in the bed and pulling her with him. "I never thought you would let anything happen between us," he said stroking her hair. "I just assumed that you didn't want anything to do with me. Or that you were never going to be able to get past your trust issues to let me in. I had basically accepted that. But now here we are."

"I honestly didn't think I would let you in," Emma admitted, resting her head against his chest. "But then all of this happened, and you broke through my walls. Even when you were feverish."

"So where exactly does this leave us?" Killian asked, tilting her chin up to look at him. "I don't exactly know the customs of this world."

"What do you want from this?" Emma asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"I just want you," he replied, quietly kissing her nose. "And only you."

Emma smiled, leaning in to kiss her softly. Keeping it light and tender, not wanting to push it any further or work them up to the point they were before. She wanted him to feel everything she felt in the kiss. When she pulled back he smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"This is something I'm not really used to," Emma admitted, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm used to one night stands and never seeing the guy again. I'm not used to lying in bed like this, taking care of someone else. And not wanting to let them go."

"Then I guess we will just have to try to get used to this together," he said with a smile. "Because I have no intention of letting you go. You're mine. As long as you'll have me."


End file.
